She's A Little Spitfire
by TheIndependentVigilante
Summary: Things ended badly with Wally and Artemis some 5 years ago. Now, Artemis is on her own and taking care of their daughter Lilly. The same daughter Wally knows nothing about. But what happens when a visit to Mount Justice brings the two together once again?


"Mama, Mama!" I looked down at the form that was burying her face in my leg and smiled. My daughter gazed up at me and directly into my eyes. Her dazzling green ones were reflecting my face in them. She grinned and I smiled back down at her.

She was just like him. She had his eyes, his smile, and strawberry blonde hair that only half of my genes could have provided. If he ever saw her, I couldn't deny what was so evident in my little girl's features. It was a good thing he'd never see her.

"I wanna go to Mint Justcis." She cheerfully proclaimed to me. I had to admit, she _was _adorable. I never thought that her dufus father and I could make a cute kid.

"Mount Justice, Lilly." I suggested to her. She was young, but she wasn't going to be illiterate

To other parents, it would seem ridiculous that I was already correcting my child's grammar. But they didn't have a child like mine. They didn't have a daughter who had read the entire children's section of the local library already and remembered it all.

I looked down at her as she tried out the word a couple of times under her breath.

"Okay, Mount… Justice. Can we go please?" I could hear the slight plea in her voice. She loved visiting the Mount.

"Nope," I replied and her face fell a little, "not in those dirty pajamas."

She lit up and zoomed off to her room across the house.

I lost one speedster, but soon after, I gained another.

I picked up my phone and dialed the number.

"Nightwing, is the coast clear for today?"

"Artemis, I'm off duty. And yes, everything is clear. He's in Central for the better part of today. He said something about a dinner at Iris's."

"We'll be there in an hour."

"I'll call up the members who aren't busy and tell them to be at Mount Justice." He replied.

"Thanks. By the way Dick, are you feeling the aster today?" I asked, for good measure.

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" I could hear the ease in his voice.

I smiled, "Never," I hoped he could tell through the phone.

"Artemis, get traught." He laughed, and then he was gone.

Being as fast as she was, it never took Lilly long to get ready to go somewhere. So when I hung up the phone and she wasn't there impatiently waiting for me as usual, I got worried. It wasn't like me to worry, but since I'd become a mom, it seemed to be the only emotion I developed anymore. Considering I've made a lot of enemies over the years crime fighting, I was allowed to worry that one day Klarion or Sportsmaster would show up to take away my little girl to get to me. And sometimes, I was even worried that the Central City villains would find out about her and her connection to the Flash, and then use her against him.

So naturally, I worried about her more than anything else.

I went to her room and found the door slightly ajar. I walked in and saw her on the ground coloring. I breathed a sigh of relief. I looked down at the picture to see an adult male and a young girl hugging. Lilly was almost done with it.

"Lilly, are you ready to go? Uncle Dick said it was okay for us to go today." She looked up at me from her coloring.

"Mommy, did they find my daddy yet?" she was very serious.

"No sweetie, they haven't. They told me that as soon as they do, they'll call us." She looked sad as she got up and hugged me. I picked her up and held her in my arms.

I hated lying to her. And if there was another way to solve this, I would have done it. But there wasn't, this was the only way.

"We'll change your clothes and go see your family. That'll cheer you up." I told her

She pulled back from me and laughed. "Mommy, I already changeded. Look," She pulled out her shirt from her skin and I saw his Flash shirt on her, "I'm wearing Daddy's shirt. It will help them find him." She said cheerfully.

For once, I hoped she was wrong.

We walked out to the BIoship and when she saw M'gann, she ran to her and hugged her.

"Aunty Megan." She said happily.

"Hello Lilly." The martian replied smiling down at the Lilly. M'gann tried not to show it, but she loved her like she was her own daughter. I'd come to the conclusion that she didn't show it because she thought it would make me angry. She didn't want to take my daughter away from me because she was my pride and joy. But I wanted Lilly to have someone like her, and the other heroes, so that she'd have good role models while she was growing up.

"Hey, where's my hug?"

Lilly turned around from M'gann and her smile grew. Connor was at the other end of the Bioship and that meant only one thing. Lilly crouched down slightly, not in a pouncing position, but a running one. She smirked, and so did he. Then she was off. She ran toward him the fastest she could go and right into his outstretched arms. He picked her up and they were laughing together.

"You're getting really fast Lilly. One of these days, you'll be able to knock me over."

Her smile was huge, "I can't wait Uncle Conner. I'm going to be so fast you won't be able to see me. I'm gonna be da fastest girl in the world."

Conner was really good with children. And M'gann knew that when they got married, he wanted kids. But she refused to have them.

She cam to my house and I had never seen her so upset before in my life. She had a box of Kleenex and a tub of ice cream and I sat and listened to her. She told me how it killed her to not have children. But she didn't want to risk having a child born a white martian because she knew they'd never be accepted. She went on and on for hours and it was weird for me. She was the same girl who kicked ass everyday and that day she was sitting next to me, her head on my shoulder, and crying about children. It was difficult for me to wrap my head around it but I realized she was much tougher than me for admitting her weakness. I instructed her to tell Conner everything once she pulled herself together. I knew it wouldn't matter though. They were too in love for that to matter. Even the subject of having children couldn't tear them apart.

She did as I told her to, and as predicted, Conner didn't care about that as much as he cared about her. They got married, and they were happy together, even without a child. Then, Lilly was born.

I hardly did anything from that point on because they took care of everything. It was like Lilly had 2 mothers and 1 father taking care of her at all times. She grew up with all 3 of us by her side.

M'gann took her place in the driver's seat and Conner sat in his chair next to her with Lilly on his lap. They were buckled in and I took my seat on the other side.

"All right, we're ready to go." she said and the Bioship took off.

The computer announced our arrival and the members that were there turned their heads as we entered.

"Lilly!"

"Unlce Nightwing!" she cried as she ran toward Dick. He hopped off the couch and grabbed her into a hug. She pulled back and grabbed his nose.

"Got your nose." She said through her fit of giggles.

"Oh no you don't!" He mock yelled.

He pretended to get angry and chase her around the little living room area. I turned to the other members that were there; Black Canary, Batman, and Wonder Woman. They looked gloomy compared to their usual happy faces when Lilly was around.

"What is it?" I asked, becoming worried yet again.

I heard M'gann call from the kitchen, "Lilly, I'm making you your favorite cookies. Come eat a sandwhich first."

"We got a call and it was about Wally. They're bringing him here. He got into some kind of accident." Dinah confessed. She looked at me with pity and it angered me, but I kept it in. She was warning me and I appreciated it.

"You have time to get Lilly out before he gets here." Bruce commented. He wasn't emotional about it, just straight forward. He knew that I wanted to keep her a secret and that was the end of it.

"Would you like me to go get them? If your wish is for her to not be found by him, I respect your wishes because you are her mother." Diana said, slightly smiling.

"No, I'll go find them, but thank you." I replied as I turned toward the kitchen. Inside, I found Lilly sitting on Conner's lap laughing. She was watching as Dick ran around mixing different toppings on an ice cream sundae in a pink apron. M'gann was sitting next to Conner laughing and holding his hand as she watched the scene in front of her.

"Sorry to break up the party, but we have to go Lilly."

"Mommy, I wanna eat my sundae first. Uncle Dick is making it for me right now." She pleaded with me.

"Sweetie, we have to go. It's going to start raining soon and we have to get home." I lied.

The others all began leaving the room and Conner brought Lilly to me. I took her in my arms and she vibrated out of them. Dammnit, I forgot her newly found skill.

"Mommy, I'm staying." Her arms were crossed and her feet were planted firmly on the ground. She'd been taking too many attitude lessons from me.

"Lilly-"

I was cut off by the computer announcing an arrival.

"Guys, do you have any bandages? I would have bought some, but I didn't have any money on me." I heard from the zeta tube area. Lilly and I were in the kitchen, so I scooped her up into my arms and ran out of the kitchen and down the hallway. I found the nearest room and went inside. There, I sat Lilly down.

She saw the worried look on my face and asked, "What's wrong Momma?"

"Nothing Lilly, we're just playing hide-and-go-seek with Uncle Nightwing. He's going to find us, so you have to be quiet."

"Okay!" She whispered with a big grin on her face.

Everything was quiet for 7 minutes exactly(I counted, it was something I was taught as a child to do to stage precise attacks). Then I heard foot steps. I braced myself for the worst as the door opened. And M'gann stood there.

"The coast is clear," She said, "I'll take her." She reached for Lilly's hand and scooped her up.

They flew away and I heard Lilly saying, "Aunty Megan, how'd you find us? We were hidin so well. Mommy picks the best spots."

I walked out of the room, looking around as I did to make sure there weren't any surprises around any of the corners. When I made it back to the living room, the Justice League members were discussing something. I walked up to them and Dinah spoke.

"He's getting treated right now for the bleeding. He's lucky he heals fast because any normal person wouldn't have survived the cuts. He lost a lot of blood."

"You can visit him if you want," Diana suggested, "They gave him medicine to put him to sleep because he wouldn't sit still." She chuckled slightly.

I wasn't surprised; he'd always been an idiot with the superhero gig.

I headed over to where Wally was to check up on him. It was the least I could do.

I walked into the room and immediately smelled the blood. He must have bled a lot; the smell was overwhelming.

He was lying on his bed, peacefully breathing in and out, which was a huge relief. I let out a breath I didn't' known I was holding in. I looked at the bandages that were covering a good portion of his body and cringed.

I took in his Flash suit which was an even deeper red than it was supposed to be. The blood had dyed most of it. And finally, I looked at the body that was in the suit. He'd grown up a lot. He had more muscle, he was taller, and his hair was longer. To say he wasn't handsome would be a lie, but I wouldn't ever admit it. I wouldn't even admit to visiting him. I turned and started to walk out when I heard a voice.

"Wait, don't go." It was quiet, I almost didn't hear it. The medicine was probably messing with his head, making him sleep talk, so I continued walking. But then he spoke again.

"If this is a dream, just let it last longer," he said, his voice stronger and now more full of life.

I couldn't ever refuse him, so I turned around and faced the bed. He smiled the biggest, goofiest looking grin I'd ever seen and I scowled.

"That's the Artemis I've missed. I know this isn't a dream now. At least I hope it isn't." He said, thinking it over in his head. The medicine was really messing with him. He seemed to be about 12 years old and it made me laugh.

"Wally, this is a dream. I am only a dream. Go back to sleep." I told him in a soothing voice, hoping it would lull him back to sleep.

And it did. He was out again in the next 15 seconds.

**Wally's P.O.V.**

When I woke up, I was aware that my entire body hurt, and that I was hungry. Very, very hungry. I started to sit up and cringed as my cuts burned with the movement. I lowered myself back down and started over, this time slower.

When I got up, I smelled something. It smelled like popcorn. I followed the scent down a few hallways and ended up in the kitchen where a big bowl of popcorn was sitting on the counter. No one was in the room, so I grabbed it and lounged in the living room with it next to me. I grabbed the remote and started flipping through the channels. No way was I watching Dora. Suddenly, my remote was gone out of my hand. I looked around for Dick and couldn't find him anywhere.

Then right in front of me, a little girl stood. She now had my popcorn bowl in her hand along with the remote.

"I was watching that." She was staring me down. She looked angry in a cute sort of way and her green eyes shined with fire in them.

I wasn't sure how to react. I'd never met such a little spitfire before. Well, not before- oh no.

"Lilly, where'd you go?" I heard Dick yell from somewhere in the Mount. He entered the room we were in and stopped.

"Oh crap, she's not going to be happy with me." He uttered.

"Dick, whose kid is this?" I asked him.

"My name's Lillian Athena West. Who are you?" She asked me, placing a hand on her hip. And suddenly, I recognized this little girl. I'd never met her before in my life, but I recognized her. I knew the hair, the green eyes, the darker skin, and the attitude. She was a perfect mix of two people I knew very well; myself and Artemis Crock.

I nearly choked on the popcorn in my mouth.

She suddenly ran off to Dick and I couldn't see her until she was in his arms. The speed she had was fascinating. She was so young, but if we ran together, she'd easily be right behind me.

Well, there's another trait she got from her dad.

'Dad.' That word had made me sick.

"Dick, did you find her?" this time it was a female voice that spoke from down the hall. My stomach dropped when I heard it because I immediately knew it was hers.

She walked into the living room and I sat up. I winced from the pain, but tried not to show it too much. Artemis always yelled at me when I acted like too much of a baby.

She looked at me and her eyes widened.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Dick take Lilly into the kitchen.

"Artemis, is that you?" I was shocked to actually see her standing in front of me. She looked so different now. She had cut her hair to about where her shoulder blades were and she was taller by a couple of inches. She also looked more womanly and less of the warrior she was when we were teens. She still had the fierce determination in her eyes though, and I knew that if I fought her, she would still knock me on my ass.

She crossed her arms over her chest and didn't stop staring at me as she answered, "No Baywatch, I'm a clone."

The familiar eye roll followed her response and I found that I missed it.

**Artemis's P.O.V.**

I couldn't believe I had got caught. All of those years I had worked my butt off to keep this secret and today it was ruined. I hated him for having the upper hand on me.

"You didn't tell me anything."

He was not going to break me.

"You didn't even stay with me when I was hurt."

He hated me.

"I was in a coma and you left me."

"Wally, I have my reasons." I snapped at him angrily.

"Artemis, please explain to me your reasons." Now he was angry as well.

"You endangered your life to save me."

"So you left me as some sort of thanks?" He sarcastically asked.

"No." was my only response.

"Then why?" he begged.

"Because." I replied plainly. He wasn't getting this out of me.

"Because why, Arty?"

"Wallace Rudolph West, I don't have to answer to you. You aren't my father!" I yelled at him. There was no holding back anymore. "It's the past, get over it!"

"No. I wanna know why the woman I was in love with left me when I needed her most."

He was breaking me down slowly but surely, and it made me furious, so I lunged at him.

**Wally's P.O.V.**

I moved out of the way just in time for Artemis to punch the air where I was just standing. Then she swung her leg out and tried to knock my legs out from under me. I knew her too well though, so I was behind her and holding her in a headlock before she knew it.

"Artemis, I stopped fighting you a long time ago. Now it's time for you to do the same."

She relaxed in my arms and I thought it was over, until she brought her leg back and got me in my groin. It hurt like hell and I doubled. I glared up at her.

"If we're going to do this, it'll be face-to-face." She was smirking in an evil sort of way and I had to double take.

I was already vulnerable from being kicked in the reproductive organs, so I used my speed to get away from Artemis before she hit me again. I wanted to talk, so I didn't go far. I was on the other side of the room before she knew it. She ran at me and somehow anticipated the way I would run because she had her foot out before I could see it. I tripped over it and my face ended up in the ground. She walked over and placed her foot on my back. She looked down at me triumphantly.

It wasn't the most impressive move, but I was actually glad to see her fighting again.

**Artemis's P.O.V.**

"Let's talk about this." He pleaded. I didn't say anything; I just walked into the living room and decided that if he really wanted to discuss this, he'd know to follow me.

He followed and sat across from me. The coffee table separated us, but if I had to, I could have jumped over it to knock him out.

"Artemis, what happened?" I didn't look at him; I just stared at the coffee table.

Wally put his elbows on his knees, leaned forward, and said, "Fine, let's talk about our daughter. How old is she?"

"Five." I answered with little emotion. I didn't want to do this, but if I had to, I wasn't going to give in easily.

"And she has super speed?" He questioned uncertainly. This one time, I didn't blame him. It was shocking, but incredible, that she could run that fast at such a young age.

"She has since she was born." I stated simply.

"Why'd you give her my last name?"

I looked up at him now. He'd caught me. Dammnit Wally.

"Don't worry about it Kid Idiot, it will be changed to Crock just for you." Of course he'd didn't want anything to do with _our _daughter.

"Artemis, I cannot believe you. I can't believe you think that!" He yelled at me. I've had never seen Wally so angry in my life. "You can't call me Kid anything Arty, I'm not some immature little child anymore. I'm the Flash now. I don't want to be, but I am. Barry's gone and I've decided to continue his legacy, which, in case you haven't noticed, is hard for me to do without him running beside me. But I've taken on the responsibility, and I do my job right. It's made me more mature. I've grown up a lot since you last saw me!"

I looked at him and decided that yes, he had grown up a lot, and all in a _very _good way. Then I mentally slapped myself. I was not going to do this again. Getting distracted by a guy was not what I did.

He was right though. I hated to admit it, but I couldn't see any trace of the kid he once was. Wally West had become, dare I say it, a man. And an attractive man at that. I wanted to believe his comforting words, but I had another life to think about; my daughter's.

He suddenly frowned and I could tell he was thinking something over. The easy going guy was lost to me at that moment. He was probably thinking about Barry. Losing his uncle killed him inside, and I hadn't been there to help him through it. It infuriated me that I never stopped messing up when it came to Wally.

"Wally," I sighed nervously, "I'm sorry about Barry." I'd always looked up to Barry, even as much as Dinah and Oliver. It was really upsetting that he was gone. I looked at the floor, because I couldn't look at Wally right then. Not when we were both so sad. A silence passed between us and then he spoke up.

"Artemis, how did this happen? How did you and I end up this way?"

I took a shaky breathe. I didn't want to share my secrets with him, but he had a right to know as Lilly's father and the guy I once loved. I could literally feel myself coming undone.

"The night we put Sportmaster in jail was also the night Lilly was…" I trailed off. I wasn't sure how to say it.

"Conceived?" he offered. He wasn't angry or sad anymore, he just sounded curious now. It was nice to hear the happiness back in his voice however annoying it used to be.

"Don't use that word, you make it sound gross." I told him.

He laughed for a moment, and then he stopped and said, "There's nothing gross or wrong about that little girl."

I looked up to find him smiling at me. I had to catch my breath. I'd forgotten how great Wally's smile was. And then it was over and he was suddenly serious again.

"What made you stop loving me?"

Shit, he knew how to get to my core. This was already difficult for me and he was pushing me harder and harder to get me to open up.

"Wally," I took another 200 hundred shaky breaths before I continued with what I knew I would regret.

"I never stopped loving you."

There, I said it. I looked down at the ground. I hated this show of weakness and vulnerability. It gave him the opportunity to kill me with the power he had against me.

There was a breeze and I felt someone join me on the couch. When I looked over, Wally was sitting right next to me.

"Then why'd you leave me that night, Artemis?"

**Flashback- Artemis's P.O. V.**

Cold was the first thing that came to my mind. I was very cold and had little clothing on. What was I wearing? Think Artemis, think. You were taught better than that.

Oh, my uniform. I opened up my eyes slightly only to be met with complete darkness save for the blinking lights in the corner. That was a bomb. I tried to move, but I was tied to a chair. Whenever I did try to move, it caused rope burn.

I looked around for any weapons that I could find, but the darkness clouded my vision. I checked myself for any weapons, mentally, and decided that whoever tied me up knew a thing or two about tying up a superhero because there were none. Not even the ones I secretly kept on my thigh. I shuddered when I thought about someone touching me but got over it quickly when I reminded myself that I had a job to do.

I started thinking of how this had started out. I was sent on a mission somewhere cold. Where was it that was cold? Hmmm… doesn't matter. I just needed to get warm or I would die from the cold before the bomb exploded. I forced myself to start shivering so that I would gain some heat.

I remembered the team had been broken up by Batman and I was sent with Kaldur and Zatanna. We went north while the rest of the team went South. We were walking when-

"ARTY! ARTEMIS! WHERE ARE YOU?"

That voice belonged to Wally. I never thought I'd need him to rescue me, nor did I ever want him to, even if he was my boyfriend. But for once, I wouldn't argue with this. Only because there was a bomb in the corner getting dangerously close to zero. There was a minute left and 17 seconds left and I started thinking of ideas of how to get myself out. There was no guarantee he'd get in here in time.

First, I licked the duct tape so it fell off. Amateurs.

"WALLY! I'M IN HERE! THERE'S LESS THAN A MINUTE LEFT ON THE BOMB. GO TAKE COVER! I'VE GOT THIS!"

I began by pulling my hands up and undoing the nicely made knot that was tying them together. At least I got to put daddy's skills to good work instead of the evil he usually did.

"ARTEMIS, I'M NOT JUST GONNA LEAVE YOU." His reply was closer than before and I heard a loud bang a second later.

The knot was undone and my hands were free. I began to work on the rope tied around my legs when Wally was right next to me undoing it even faster.

"Artemis, I will never leave you, even if it kills me." He continued to undo the knot with his hands and looked up at me and into my eyes. I leaned down a little and kissed him. We'd done this before, but there was something different about kissing him this time. This time, our lips were trembling. Neither one of us said it, but we were both scared.

When it was undone, he grabbed me, picked me up, and ran. I started to feel safe with him holding me. Then, the bomb exploded, and everything went dark.

I woke up to a steady beeping sound in my right ear. It was loud and it hurt my ear, so I tried to swat it away.

I hit someone and heard an "Ow!" in response.

I slowly opened my eyes to find Robin looking down on me.

"Rob, is he okay?" The words slowly formed as I pronounced each syllable. I had a massive headache that was messing with my thoughts. I wonder if they have a little medicine I could use for it somewhere.

"Arty, Wally's in a coma."

My heart sank and I felt sick to my stomach. Maybe it was only yesterday.

"For how long?" I asked in concern.

"He's been in it since we picked you guys up from the explosion 6 days ago." There was no emotion in the way he said it. He was still in shock from what happened, no doubt.

Wally was in a coma for 6 days and it was because of me. Because he wanted to play hero and save me, he could have been dying. I sat up quickly and immediately regretted it. I was dizzy and had to sit still for a minute to get control of my head again. When I did, I got off the bed and Robin stood directly in front of me.

"That's not a good idea Arty; you're not in much better shape than he is."

I scoffed and pushed him aside, causing another bought of dizziness. I didn't care; all I cared about was seeing Wally. He was in the bed next to me, so I didn't have to go far. I grabbed a chair and pulled it next to him. Then I sat and watched his steady breathing. I noticed he had bandages on his head and arms, but his legs were fine. He would have been happy to hear that.

I was the reason he was in here. This was my fault. If I had been faster and got myself out, Wally and I could have run away. I put my head on his bed as I thought things over. That wasn't the first time he'd done something like this. If I was ever in danger, he was always keeping an eye on me in case I needed his help. I never did, but he didn't he see it that way.

"Robin," I lifted my head up and looked at him, "I'm pregnant."

"What?" his eyes were huge and he looked me up and down as if checking for a baby.

"You aren't going to find a baby; I'm only 6 weeks pregnant. I'm not even showing yet."

"Have you told him yet?"

"You assume it's Wally's and that I will be telling him?" I questioned with my eyebrow raised.

"Artemis, even if you won't admit it, we all know you're in love with Kid Idiot."

Damn them and their perceptiveness.

"No, I haven't. And I'm not going to because I'm not staying. I'm leaving the team and I'm leaving Gotham City. I can't have Wally almost dying every time he thinks I need his help. He'll end up killing himself if he makes it through this."

My voice broke at the end and I inwardly cringed. I hated being so vulnerable in front of Robin. I didn't mind it as much with Wally, because he always told me everything was going to be okay, but this made me uncomfortable.

"This will kill him." Rob said. I knew he wasn't talking about the coma.

"He'll die sooner if I stay."

I got up to leave. I took one quick glance at my speedster and begin my trek to where ever I was going. It was a split second decision, something I didn't usually do, but it had to be made and I was going to stand behind that decision 100 percent.

"Wait. At least let me help you out."

That's when it was decided that the entire team would know everything. Everyone except Wally, that is.

That was also the day I found out Robin was actually Dick Grayson and Batman was actually Bruce Wayne. They told me so that they could watch over me and it made communication easier. Bruce and Dick helped me out a lot money-wise, and they made sure we always had food, clothes, toys, and books. They took care of Lilly and I. I still had a job along with college, that way when I acquired a career, I could pay them back. I owed them a lot, especially since they kept my secret.

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at the ground.

"I left to protect you like you did for me." I said quietly.

He hadn't heard me. "What was that?"

"I said I left to protect you like you protected me." My teeth were clenched, but he had to of heard me. He had to be messing with me to make me say it louder. He'd love that, for me to be so weak.

"Arty, I can't hear you." I could hear the smile in his voice.

"I SAID I LEFT TO PROTECT YOU LIKE YOU ALWAYS PROTECTED ME YOU IDIOT!"

And then two strong arms were wrapped around me. I could feel his face tilted down onto my head. He might have even been kissing the top of my head. I looked around and found no one around, thankfully, and let him hug me.

"Wally, what do you think you're doing?" I pulled back from him as much as I could but he wouldn't budge his strong hold around me.

"Stay. I finally have you back." He replied with ease. He wasn't ashamed of his behavior, which made me think he meant it.

" Let me go Baywatch. I have a daughter to take care of."

"Funny, so do I." He replied and we were looking at each other. I felt something in my stomach that I hadn't felt since the last time I was this close to Wally. And they weren't butterflies anymore. They were killer bees trying to force themselves out. Then he started leaning , and I felt myself lean a little more. I couldn't stop it, it was like an unknown force was pulling us to each other yet again.

Suddenly there was yelling in the kitchen and I jumped out of Wally's grasp while he was distracted. When I got inside I found Lilly with a bowl on her head covered from head to toe in flour. Dick was trying to clean up the floor while my daughter was trying a taste of the flour.

"Lilly, don't eat that, it's gross." I warned, but she tried it anyway.

She made a disgusted face and spit into the trash can.

"I can already tell she's just like you." I heard Wally whisper from right behind me, "not listening to what she's told and trying it out for herself."

I turned around and placed my hand on Wally's chest and pushed him back into the living room.

"Wally, what are we going to do? I can't introduce you to her when you don't plan on taking care of her. I could tell her-"

"Who said I don't want to take care of her?" he asked, astonishment adorning his words and face.

"But you just met her, and you know nothing about her and-"

I was cut off by Wally's finger covering my lips.

"Artemis, she's my little girl too. And I want to take care of her. Granted, I don't know anything about her, but I can learn, and so can she. Whether you love me or not, I will take care of our daughter. I'd like it if you both did, but I already know for sure I love her."

As a mother, it was touching that he'd say that. Especially since he was her father and she'd be really excited to know that we finally 'found' him. But his blind faith was surpsrising for someone who relied so much on science and facts.

"How do I know you won't run off to some other girl and leave us; leave your daughter?"

And that's when Wally got down on one knee.

**Wally's P.O.V.**

"Artemis Crock, will you marry me?" I smiled up at her.

Her eyes got huge and all she said was, "Wally."

I wasn't sure what I was doing. At one time in my life, I loved Artemis. I loved her more than anything else in the world, and that included food, so she obviously meant a lot to me. But it had been while and I wasn't sure I felt the same. Eventually, I wanted to be sure I loved her all over again though.

One thing I was sure of was that I had to be in that little girl's life. I abandoned Barry when he needed me and he ended up dying. Lilly was in safe care with the entire Justice League guarding her, plus Artemis, who was scarier than anything else when it came to her daughter. But I had thought Barry was safe and now he was gone. I couldn't lose someone else. So if proposing marriage to the girl I once would have given my life for was the way to see my daughter, than I'd do it.

"Wally, I'm not marrying you." She said.

I didn't think it would hurt me if she said no, but it did a little. I didn't actually expect her to say yes or anything, but it would have been nice if she would have thought it over a little longer. Way to boost the ego Arty. You always knew how to knock 'em dead.

"You can see her Wally. She is your daughter, and I can't deny you that right."

This was Artemis's way of saying, 'I'd like you to see her, but I won't actually tell you that'. Typical Arty.

I quickly hugged her and whispered into her ear, "Friday, 7 o'clock, wear something pretty. Not that you'll need it since you're already gorgeous. But the other guests won't appreciate sweats and a Green Arrow tee." I planted a quick kiss on her cheek and I was gone.

I ran into the kitchen where I saw the mess from earlier was cleaned up and Lilly was sitting at the counter snacking on some cookies by herself. I wasn't sure how to approach her, so I just sat next to her.

"Can I have some of those?" I gestured to the cookies on the counter.

"Dose cookies are only for very very fast people." She replied matter-of-factly.

"Well then I guess I'll just take one since I'm a speedster." I smiled down at her and she gave me a skeptical look that could rival Artemis's.

Artemis walked up next to Lilly and crouched down to her eye level.

"Lilly, this is a very special man. His name is Wally West and he's the Flash, the fastest man alive." Lilly looked away from her mother and her eyes were huge as she looked back at me. I just kept smiling at the girl. I hoped my smile wasn't verging on creepy so she didn't get scared of me. That happened a lot to me and Barry always told me it was hilarious to watch us on the news getting interviewed because I was always trying to fix my face.

"You can call him Daddy though." Artemis finished.

My daughter's eyes got even bigger and she looked at her mother again.

"They found my daddy? This is my daddy?" She was perplexed. I smiled at the interaction going on between the two. I could see that that little girl really loved her mom. And I saw a new kind of love in Artemis's eyes that I had never seen before. Motherhood looked good on Artemis. _Really _good. Then again, I was always under the impression that nothing looked bad on her.

"Yes sweetie, this is your daddy."

Both of them looked at me and before I knew it, Lilly was hugging me. I glanced at Artemis to make sure it was okay and I saw her trying to hold in a smile. She may never say it, but I knew she was happy I was back.

I put my arms around my daughter and hugged her back. Then she crawled into my lap and turned to me.

"Are you really da fastest person in da world?" She was curious about my speed first and foremost, proving to me she was a speedster not only by genetics but also by heart.

"Yes I am."

"Can I run with you?"

I answered her like I was prepared for this question all my life.

"Always."


End file.
